While Lakers struggle and Bryant stews, Rockets expect same threat as ever

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The Lakers might have begun their annual – and usually meaningless – visit to dysfunction junction, with a Kobe Bryant locker room tantrum and a memorable way of calling out a teammate. This, however, brings the Rockets no comfort at all.

Their concern is not just with the notion that the Lakers will arrive at Toyota Center tonight especially driven, lest Bryant act on his threat to beat up everyone. The Rockets were not on alert because Bryant seems particularly on edge since ordering Pau Gasol to “Put your big boy pants on; just adjust.”

To the Rockets, the Lakers are dangerous not despite or because of all that will be swirling around as the circus comes to town, but because the Lakers are so accustomed to all the high anxiety. They will still be the star-loaded team that routed the Rockets in the second half in Staples Center last month. The same riches that created expectations and now drive the dissatisfaction with an 8-9 record, to the Rockets make the Lakers the same sort of threat that was expected all along.

“This team is special because they have so many guys with experience,” Rockets veteran Carlos Delfino said. “They can handle it. Normally, I think it’s a big thing. For us, as a team that’s going to play against them today, you sometimes want them to be struggling, but they can turn it around any day.”

The danger is normally that a team going through the sort of issues the Lakers face is that they crack if they hit adversity. The Rockets considered the Lakers invulnerable to that because of Bryant.

“I don’t think they crack with Kobe,” Rockets acting head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I don’t think he allows that. “He’s just a fierce competitor. He has so much pride. He’s one of the players in the NBA that I’ve always admired not because he’s a great player, just because how he handles adversity. He bounced back from losses. He’s the ultimate competitor, but he’s also the ultimate leader.”

Some things never change, which is what concerns the Rockets about facing the Lakers no matter what sort of controversies come with them.